Stupid turkey gender question

[Rosalind]

If you have multiple toms, is it like chickens, where you might have one or two really dominant, obviously male birds, and the other males that are more submissive in the pecking order have less male features (especially comb/wattles)? If you have a very dominant hen, does she take on some male-looking characteristics?

Have a few that I was sure were girls, but one has turned out to be quite an aggressive little thing, and now she sits on top of the waterer and squawks at the other turkeys. Also have a couple that I was pretty sure were boys, because they gobbled at DH when he went out to talk to them, but they haven't developed their snoods and caruncles as much as some of the really obvious males. There's one that I thought might be a tom just because s/he is freakin' HUGE, the sort of turkey you look at and wonder if it'll fit in your oven at all, but s/he only developed a little bit of a snood and about two big caruncles, and s/he gobbles only very quietly.

Thought I had the girls and boys picked out, but now I'm not so sure.

 

[TexasVet]

I had a few Rio Grande turkeys last year and had the hardest time telling the boys from the girl. A few of the females developed beards, although shorter than the males', and it took forever for the Toms to start gobbling. But my understanding is that only Toms gobble. And mine didn't start doing that until they were 8-9 months old.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.ChickenTrackin.com